Ryan Choi

Thesis title: On the Writings of the Traitor Literati: Newspapers, Diaries, and Literary Periodicals in Hong Kong during Japanese Occupation, 1941-1945

Background

Ryan Choi is a PhD candidate who holds a dual bachelor's degree in Chinese and Language Education from the University of Hong Kong, as well as a master's degree in Chinese Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. His extant research is centred on literary production during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.

Qualifications

MA, Chinese Studies (Distinction), SOAS University of London, 2020.

BA & BEd, Chinese and Language Education (2.1), University of Hong Kong, 2019.

Responsibilities & affiliations

Student representative for PhD Chinese Studies

Member of the European Association for Chinese Studies (EACS)

Member of the British Association for Chinese Studies (BACS)

Member of the Hong Kong Archives Society (HKAS)

Undergraduate teaching

Tutor in Modern East Asian History B

Current research interests

Ryan Choi's doctoral research centers on the analysis of documentary and literary texts that were published in newspapers, periodicals, and personal documents during the Japanese invasion and occupation of Hong Kong from 1941 to 1945. His research aims to scrutinize the cultural and literary policies implemented by the Imperial Japanese government in Hong Kong and to evaluate the intricate and ambiguous nature of the writings produced by collaborationists including Ye Lingfeng and Lu Mengshu. He has a strong interest in archival materials, including newspapers, letters, periodicals, and diaries from the period of Japanese occupation.

Past research interests

Ryan Choi's previous research interests have centered on the study of Sinophone literature, with a particular focus on modern and contemporary literature from Hong Kong and Taiwan. During his postgraduate studies at SOAS, he conducted research on Imperial Subject literature in Taiwan under the Kōminka Movement. His past work provides a strong foundation for his current research, which builds upon these themes to examine the cultural and literary landscape of Hong Kong during the Japanese occupation. Ryan Choi's MA dissertation, 'Narrating Diaspora and Disease in a Cosmopolitan Fairyland: Pai Hsien-yung's Danny Boy and Tea for Two', offers a critical analysis of Pai Hsien-yung's literary works within the broader context of diaspora and illness. Ryan explores how Pai's works portray these themes within a cosmopolitan framework, illuminating the complex intersections of identity, culture, and globalization. Ryan Choi 's research highlights the representation of diaspora and disease in queer Sinophone literature, with a particular emphasis on the works of Pai Hsien-yung.

Current project grants

2024 Visiting Scholar Scheme, Hong Kong History Centre at University of Bristol

Papers delivered

〈日占香港時期文學的合作通敵:論葉靈鳳《書淫艷異錄》〉,第三十屆「金聲研討會」,台灣:國立中央大學,2023 年10 月21 日。'Collaboration and Collusion: A Study of Ye Lingfeng's Bibliophile's Erotic and Strange Records,' National Central University, Taiwan, 21 October 2023.

'Collaborationist Literature in Wartime Hong Kong: Ye Lingfeng’s Role as a Literary Producer under Japanese Occupation (1941–1945),' British Association for Chinese Studies, King’s College London, 8 September 2023.